News

We’re Open & Our Guidelines for Visiting

We’re open! We appreciate your support and patience during the last months, and we kindly ask that you read all the information available below before we welcome you back to the Centre. We’re open from 10am to 6pm Friday – Sunday, with last entry to John Knox House at 5pm. The Storytelling Café is open Friday – Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

We are working hard to make sure that a visit to John Knox House and the Scottish Storytelling Centre remain enjoyable but safe. Visitors are now able to visit John Knox House, the Scottish Storytelling Centre Bookshop, the Storytelling Court to browse our exhibition and the Storytelling Café. The Theatre remains closed until further notice, and the public programme of events will remain as online events.

We’re Good to Go: We’re happy to say that we have achieved the ‘We’re Good to Go’ accreditation. The ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard and supporting check mark mean we have demonstrated that we’ll be adhering to the respective government and public health guidance and have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment to check we have the required processes and protocols in place.

Online booking: We’re introducing online reservations/bookings for John Knox House entry. Entry slots will be available every 20 minutes from 10am to 5pm, and booking in advance of your visit is recommended. Instead of booking a ticket for everyone in your group, you will pay a £5 deposit for your time slot, and your party will pay the remaining balance on arrival to John Knox House ahead of entry. Please let us know in advance if you can no longer attend, so that we can offer the time slot to someone else! Click here to book.

In line with government guidance, we’ll be required to take contact details for the lead member of the group so that we can follow Test and Protect protocols. These will be stored securely and deleted after 21 days. Unless you have specified otherwise, we’ll only use these details in case we need to for Test and Protect protocols.

Arrival: We are operating a one-way system (as much as possible) through customer areas of the building, with JKH as our entry door and the SSC glass door as our exit. When you enter through the JKH entry door, you’ll be greeted by a member of the team who will direct you to where you need to go and talk you through appropriate health and safety measures. If you are visiting John Knox House, you’ll be invited to stand on a distanced queue marker until one of our reception team is ready to serve you. There is a level access door available at the JKH entry to the building.

 

Face Coverings/Masks: For your safety and the safety of others please wear a face covering or face mask during your visit to John Knox House or the Centre. This includes in retail areas and moving around the building, but you may remove your mask if sitting in the Café to eat or drink. Staff members will also be wearing masks/face shields and sometimes gloves for their safety, but will still always be happy to help! If you cannot wear a mask, our friends at Euan’s Guide have resources available for downloading to display that you are face mask exempt.

Capacity: We’ve reduced the capacity of entry to John Knox House to three groups every hour, with staggered entry times of every 20 minutes. This should mean you have plenty of space to walk through the building and the attraction safely. Our Café tables have also been moved into the beautiful storytelling court to maximise space between them. Please just make sure the tables and chairs stay within the taped markings during your visit to remain at a suitable distance from other groups.

Signage: We have installed new signage and marked out social distancing at various points throughout the building to help you keep your distance.

Hand hygiene: Hand sanitiser stations are available at various points in the building including on entry, exit and in the Court. Please sanitise your hands on arrival, and wash your hands frequently throughout your visit. There are handwashing facilities in our toilets located on the ground floor.

Contactless payments preferred: If possible, please pay by card (and ideally by contactless payment!) as this reduces cash handling for staff.

Cleaning: Whilst we have regular cleaning checks taking place, you’ll notice us cleaning more frequently throughout the day for everyone’s safety

Thank you for reading through our guidelines, and we’re excited to welcome you back!